Curse

Thenameless Wonder · Sep 01, 2011, 01:44 AM // 01:44

It hit me as I was doing the ZB today, I recently reached 45/50 in my HoM and so I decided I was not going for any more achievements and so would goof off until GW2 comes out. So there I am sitting in Oalfstead in party search "fantasicly amazing ranger/pet combo lfg ZB HM" (call me what you want

) after I bought everything to set my ranger as the enraged spear chucker because the build sounded fun (and is!). It occurred to me I have not played like this since I first started in 2007. I was running around on 1/2, 1/3 is more like it, of brainpower taking on Raven's Point for some rewards. I had a genuine fun time spending 30min clearing a HM dungeon with a PUG group.

Is this how games (specifically GW) are supposed to be played?

I have spent over 1,000+ hours farming. Farming farming. Farming for gold. Farming for fame. Farming for titles. This is always mindless grind (unless I have music on) and it was the way I played most of my time. I would farm SS/LB points in Remains of Salaja for my warrior. I was farming dungeons with my assassin for umpteen hours. Farming feathers in Jahai Bluffs with my Ritualist. Attempting vatteirs with an ele, in addition to getting survivor for my assassin through it. Farming bison tokens to sell to players. I remember running Vabbi tours for some extra cash and running Ruins of Morah on my 130hp derv. Farming Exuro Flatts for elite elementalist tomes. And that one time I had a gift of the traveler business because I had to HAVE ALL of the El tonics (before 6year) because I thought it was cool. Bottom line, I farmed A LOT.

Was it worth it?

Although all my farming financed my 45/50 I truly had fun goofing off in this game as opposed to being rich. I very much enjoyed doing AB (when it was alive) being a 105hp assassin; hearing everyone say "is that a 55 sin?" I liked maintaining holy wrath with defy pain in AB and watched how no one could beat me. I loved making, testing, and successfully doing a snowman sinway. And now I love playing half-brained with a R/P spear chucker.

Guild wars gave me both sides of the coin; the classic mmo grind and the very intuitive skill system. I really like the skill system, so versatile and it just makes me want to play the game forever!

However I am excited to play GW2 with old friends

Tell me your story

ErrantVenture · Sep 01, 2011, 01:56 AM // 01:56

Didn't play to farm. Spent all of my time GvGing, HBing or playing tombs (stopped playing HA as much when title was introduced). The rewards in GvG and HB were always the fun of the competition, not a stupid title or gold.

Pony Slaystation · Sep 01, 2011, 02:07 AM // 02:07

When I play, I usually end up just doing normal, balanced team builds with a few of my buddies, and we still have a pretty good time.
I think speed clears have taken the fun out of the game for a lot of people, since they just keep using the same build the same way in the same place over and over again. Plus, speed clears by nature are a fast paced gameplay, whereas playing with some buds is nice and relaxed, and we just take our time, talk a bit, and just have fun.

PurpleFission · Sep 01, 2011, 03:08 AM // 03:08

I enjoy pushing for times in elite areas ie DoA/UW

StormDragonZ · Sep 01, 2011, 03:13 AM // 03:13

How did I enjoy this game?

Going at my own pace. I admired the scenery, take on any challenge and learn from my failures, absorb the plot twists and/or cutscenes and understand the current situation and listen to everyone's comments about how to go about harder missions, such as Abaddon's Mouth, Gate of Madness & Raisu Palace.

Now, I've reached the point where I know how to go about everything, help anyone with anything for the sake of feeling good about it and push my limits to be able to handle anything, but knowing full well I'll never be perfect and accept failure, even till now.

turbo234 · Sep 01, 2011, 03:42 AM // 03:42

i used to throw any skills together and hop into an AB. Half the time it was just fun being able to beat people using cookie cutter builds. also i would have to say my backbreaker monk using smiter's boon postnerf was my favorite.

otherwise just having fun abusing the glitched skills before they were fixed. i monked the whole day when cultist's fervor affected all spells by accident and could handle all 12 kurzicks without letting anyone die.

but now that everyone i played with doesn't log on anymore i just go at my own pace doing titles.

sthpaw · Sep 01, 2011, 04:07 AM // 04:07

before grinding for GWAMM and 50pts,
well just doing elite areas with guildies/alliance just for the heck of it and the social part of using vent and then moving on to gvg after my 3rd year i think.

good guild wars times.

Chocobo1 · Sep 01, 2011, 04:21 AM // 04:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by sthpaw

before grinding for GWAMM and 50pts,
well just doing elite areas with guildies/alliance just for the heck of it and the social part of using vent and then moving on to gvg after my 3rd year i think.

good guild wars times.

Yeah good old social times on vent eh South Paw? (MMAD) <_<

sthpaw · Sep 01, 2011, 04:34 AM // 04:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chocobo1

Yeah good old social times on vent eh South Paw? (MMAD) <_<

yeh brohan!!
i thought u dont come on these forums anymore and playing Street Fighta lol.

wilebill · Sep 01, 2011, 07:11 AM // 07:11

Since day 1 played it for fun, no ambition at all. Got a lot of stuff at this point, good char builds for PvE and farming, 30 points HoM and no more goodies so no more fun. More than laid back, just plain lazy. But that is what is wonderful about GW. It can satisfy a wide range of players.

Odinius · Sep 01, 2011, 08:57 AM // 08:57

I really loved the game when it first came out and played every day till late in the night.
After factions it toned down a little and when nightfall came out I only used to play on weekends.
Not because the game was less fun, but real life became more important than gaming (my girlfriend likes to read an I like to game and all was good, now we have two kids and both have a fulltime job so we treasure every moment we have together)
When the HoM came out it was great and we loved doing stuff to fill it.
Although when we( my guildleader and me: our full guild (: ) got to 10 titles we were quite sure we would never get to 50/50 and above that gwamm.
Taking it one little step at a time we finally did it! but instead of joy we were both a little sad because now there was nothing left for us to complete.
Now I only log in to see if there is any new update on the beyond chapters or to chip away at getting my last 4 armor sets of other professions.
Nothing to do but hell those were some great 5+ years of gaming!
/retirement mode untill GW2

HanSolo · Sep 01, 2011, 09:15 AM // 09:15

I enjoyed my first year or two playing the most by far. Just like anyone will say most likely. Met one of my best online friends my first day playing. Since we both started the same day, we joined the same guild together. We're still friends to this day. Definitely the most enjoyable part of guild wars for me.

Xsiriss · Sep 01, 2011, 10:40 AM // 10:40

I feel exactly the same way. FAR too much of my playtime has been dedicated to farming and equipping my characters as well as grinding for HoM (I'm on 42 but really cba to get 45). The most fun I've had recently is screwing about with 7 hero builds.

Agar · Sep 01, 2011, 11:00 AM // 11:00

The thing i loved most was VQing, after a busy day it was realy relaxing, plus i got to see every area in GW. I also love talking to NPCs and finding out more about the lore. Iam 50/50 HoM and GWAMM now but i still log in now and then when updates are released or to hang around with guildies.

Zero The Hero · Sep 01, 2011, 12:08 PM // 12:08

i been playing for 6 yrs now and best thing that happened (for me)was the addition of 3 hero's, then 7,i never really liked playing with human players/pugs most times u get someone who just aggros everything or is just plain rude, I have my own tactics in battle and hero's listen very well and don't complain,and if they die they don't play the blame game,so now I don't have wait on no one i just grab my hero's and get after it,no one to slow me down, I save the chatting for in town.

Fluffy Kittens · Sep 01, 2011, 12:09 PM // 12:09

I NEVER farmed and NEVER had any problems with money or anything, also almost finished my 50/50

Godrik Gandolfi · Sep 01, 2011, 04:27 PM // 16:27

I've only been playing for about 10 months after a friend introduced me to the game, for something my sons and I could play together. I have had a wonderful time playing through the campaigns and getting my warrior char up to GWAMM - nearly there now. It's been a very relaxed and sociable time with my boys and old medical school buddies.

I've loved the balance in GW and the need to have the right build and the right team, rather than the endless levelling you see in other MMOs. We spent a lot of happy hours trying out different builds, or starting with a cookie cutter build and then improving it. Didn't do any PUG playing because as a warrior no-one wanted my char, but with my little guild of family and friends, and the heroes, I never needed to.

Even the grind has been enjoyable because we'd do it together and try to find clever ways to do things as efficiently as possible. @Agar - I agree about vanquishing - I set up a VQ playlist on iTunes and would have some cool tunes playing while clearing the zones, very relaxing after work when the kids had gone to bed etc

All in all this has been the best fun I've ever had with a computer, and got me back into gaming after a decade away. We're all looking forward to GW2 now, but hopefully not just yet as there are still some things I want to finish off in GW1 first - like getting to 50/50 (am on 46 now) and playing through all the elite areas.

Missing HB · Sep 01, 2011, 04:56 PM // 16:56

I appreciated getting rewards from GvG and hero battles in the past... but today the game is terrible, everyone is just about farming anything and they aren't doing anything to change... too bad

chuckles79 · Sep 01, 2011, 06:23 PM // 18:23

My favorite things about the game have changed as nerfs, buffs, and major updates have affected my activities.

I've attempted or have on my "to do list" just about everything in the game, except GvG and I never created a SF sin because I wanted this to be the one game where I never did up, up, down,down,left,right,left,right,a,b, select, start.

When I started in May 2005 I like pre-searing a lot and then I saw the game after the searing. The depressing change in scenery, the large bump in difficulty, and the fact that no one I knew played made me take a year and a half hiatus.

I came back to it during Wintersday 2006 and started playing with my wife. We had a fun time and got other friends and family members into the game.

I remember it taking us a couple of months to finally get to LA, and that in itself was a major freaking achievement.

We then got factions and watched as we hit level 20 in a few hours. We got my folks into it and they started in Factions. (my father still plays his first ranger and never any other).

I was thrilled when I finally got my first elites, Barrage and BHA at Boreas Seabed.

My funniest moment was doing Ice Caves of Sorrow with a group of newbies and watching as someone typed "BONUS!" and everyone but me ran straight into the group of Mursaat...lucky for them I had rebirth.

Then I discovered RA/TA and started having a blast. Anyone who played RA in summer 2007 remember Shroud of Silence sins, and other builds of ungodly cheapness (got my glad 1 rank).

Then EotN hit and I consider this "the Dark Times". My wife quit altogether and everything was ursan, and later SF.

The only thing that kept me going was switching to paragon and fighting through the missions with him.

I almost quit then they started the Zaishen quests, which was a godsend and gave me stuff to do other than buying dungeon runs at Doomlore.

They brought back FA and JQ big time, and I've gone from R3 allegiance to R10 with only a small investment in time.

Now that I'm over 30 in my HOM, and all is left is titles and prestige stuff (oh I still need to beat Duncan, haven't made time for that); I'm enjoying the game. I finished VQ'ing Tyria last night, and I am just amazed how many beautiful scenes and interesting objects we miss as we grind through everything. Now that I have time to poke around, I'm seeing a lot of things for the first time.

Believe it or not I had never seen a sand elemental until I decided to VQ the Crystal Desert.
Most people just buy the tour, do the missions, and leave for good.

I loved WiK, I hate WoC so far (Minister Cho's....qualifies as trolling in my book). If I hadn't VQ'd the whole continent before now I would be so royally pissed.

I'm mostly hoping that the GW2 team is taking notes on what has worked and what has failed.

Overpowered skills, making optional end-game content a right and not a privilege, and heavy handed nerfs and buffs were the worst moments.

Incentives and reasons to try and do new things, evolving content, changing celebrations a little each year. Those are some great things.

MithranArkanere · Sep 01, 2011, 07:41 PM // 19:41

I didn't have to 'farm' to get 50/50.

I just took it easy. Playing normally and buying the stuff from the Traders, you can get the Obisidan armor in one month without having to farm anything. Just questing and adventuring.

Never once in my life had more than 300K in storage. And most of the time less than 100K.